New work in historic churches

Abstract

Discusses the adaptation of churches to new uses. The author describes how most church buildings are the result of successive layers and transformations. He explains, however, that these are very different from the radical interventions that one commonly encounters today, which are best avoided. To do this, the author recalls important guiding principles: the importance of reversibility; the use of auxiliary accommodation in a freestanding structure that is physically divorced from the main church; the preservation of elements such as Medieval or box pews, the pulpit, and the church choir; the inappropriateness of carpets, which can damage the underlying floor material with unventilated moisture; and the need to avoid the disfigurement of interiors caused by painting stone walls.